Beverage cooler and dispenser



Feb. 3, 1959 Filed Jan. 25, 1957 R. T. CORNELIUS BEVERAGE COOLER ANDDISPENSER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 p. F IO 64 mm. "1 HM FIG.

INVENTOR RICHARD T. CORNELIUS zwwg ATTORNEYS Feb. 3, 1959 v R. T.CORNELIUS BEVERAGE COOLER AND DISPENSER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25,1957 lllllllllll ll 1 14/47/11!!! I lII/I/l/llrllllllllll W. .r/rA/fiV lI l l l 7147111 IIII I llllarlllllvll I l l I I I l I I I I I Irl/ll/flfll llfll MHHHHHHHHHHHHHMW I HINHHHWINHHHHHMHMMHMHH? INVENTORRICHARD T. CORNELIUS ATTORNEYS Feb. 3, 1959 RT. CORNELIUS 2,871,675

I BEVERAGE COOLER AND DISPENSER Filed Jan. 25, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR RICHARD T. CORNELIUS ATTORNEYS Feb. 3, 1959 R. T. CORNELIUS2,871,675

BEVERAGE COOLER AND DISPENSER Filed Jan. 25, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4RICHARD T. CORNELIUS 220% g R m 0 v N s a w n 1 w A N I H & I QS llrlllllu 8 u 8 o o M M 4 9 7 I S 8 4/ O Q 3 8 n x -m fifi 3 8 0 O n l r 1a V |& J a 4 M Q w. m

ATTORNEYS United States Patent l BEVERAGE COOLER AND DISPENSER RichardT. Cornelius, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application January 25, 1957, Serial No. 636,274 8 Claims. (Cl. 62-258)The herein disclosed invention relates to beverage coolers anddispensers and has for an object to provide a A further object of theinvention resides in construct ing the receptacle for the refrigerant asa drawer, open at the top, and which may be installed in a counter orbar open at the back, and which may be pulled out to permit of refillingthe refrigerant as the same is consumed and which may be closed toenclose the refrigerant.

Another object of the invention resides in attaching the faucet and adrain to the drawer and in providing flexible hose connected to saidfaucet and drain and to a source of beverage under pressure and to awaste disposal system.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing railsattached to the counter and in providing means attached to the drawerand engaging said rails and supporting said drawer for sliding movementtransversely of the counter.

An object of the invention resides in constructing the drawer from castaluminum and with side walls, end walls and a bottom, and in embeddingwithin said bottom a coil constructed of a suitable heat conductingmaterial and connected to said faucet and a source of beverage underpressure.

Another object of the invention resides in disposing the drawer within acase having side and end walls and a bottom spaced from the side and endwalls and bottom of the drawer with insulating material therebetween.

Another object of the invention resides in attaching a drip shelf andthe rail engaging means to said case.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterillustrated and/or described.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional View of a counter or bar with the instantinvention mounted thereon and taken on line 11 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view of the invention taken on line 22 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational-sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3'.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 drawn to a lesser scale and showingthe drawer in extended position.

For. the purpose of illustrating the invention, a portion of a bar orcounter has been shown, which consists of a counter top. 11 having adepressed portion 12 on which the glasses may rest. The counter top 11is sup- Z,$7l,fi75 Patented Feb. 3, 1959 ported on a wall structure 13,only a portion of which has, been shown, and the counter is open at therear. Extending across the under side of the top 11 are cleats 14 whichare secured thereto and to the wall structure 13.

The invention proper consists of a drawer 15 preferably constructed ofcast aluminum and which has a bottom 16, front and rear end walls 17 and18, and side walls 19 and 20. The bottom 16 is relatively thick and hascast in it two serpentine coils of tubing 22 and 23. The said 0 coilsare arranged in layers, the coils 22 being lowermost and the coil 23overlying the coil 22. These coils are cast into the bottom and thusembedded into the same to form intimate heat conducting relation withrespect thereto. On the exterior of the end wall 20 is formed a boss 24which has embedded in it tube fittings 25 and 26. The fitting 25 hasconnected to it one end of the coil of tubing 22 while the fitting 26has connected to it one end of the coil 23. These fittings serve asinlets to the respective coils and connectors 27 and 28 screwed on saidfittings serve to connect flexible hose 29 and 30 to the fittings 25 and26. These hose are connected to receptacles for beverage under pressurewhich are disposed within the counter 10 and below the invention properand which direct beverage into the two coils 22 and 23. If desired,different beverages may be dispensed through the two coils.

The other ends 31 and 32 of the coils 22 and 23 are bent upwardly andare connected to tube fittings 33 and 34 which are embedded in aboss 35case integral with the bottom 16 and disposed within the interior of thedrawer 15. The fittings 33 and 34 have attached to them connectors 36and 37 by means of which flexible tubes 38 and 39 may be attached tosaid fittings.

The drawer 15 is mounted within a case 40 having a bottom 41, front andrear end walls 42 and 43 and side walls 44 and 45. This case is slightlylarger than the drawer 15 and the walls and bottom thereof are spacedfrom the walls and bottom of the drawer 15 to provide a space 46therebetween. In this space is disposed suitable insulating material 47such as spun glass or mineral wool or the equivalent. The case 40 ispreferably constructed from sheet metal and formed in the desired shapeto fit the drawer 15. Extending about the upper edges of the drawer 15and the case 40 is a rim 48 which overlies said' edges and closes thespace 46. This rim has flanges 49 and 50, the flange 49 extendingdownwardly along and fitting against the inner surface of the walls ofthe drawer 15 and the flange 50 fitting along the outer surfaces of thewalls of the case 40. If desired, the flange 50 and case 40 may beconstructed of plastic material. Screws 52 extending through the flange49 and into the walls of the drawer 15 hold the same in proper relationwith respect to the case 40. The fittings 25 and 26, previously referredto, extend through the wall 45 of the case. I

Cast in the bottom 16 of drawer 15 isa drain pipe 53 which communicateswith the interior of the drawer. This pipe extends through theinsulation 47 and through the bottom 41 of the case 40. A flexible tube54 is connected to the protruding end of the pipe 53 and is in turnconnected to a suitable drain.

Mounted on the front wall 17 of drawer 15 are two faucets 55 and 56.These faucets may be of conventional construction and are provided withthreaded shanks 57 and with bodies 58 mounted thereon and containingsuitable valve mechanism for controlling the flow of the beveragethrough the faucets. These faucets are further formed with dischargespouts 59 and handles 60 for operating the valve mechanism within thebodies 58. The shanks 57 extend through openings 61 in the front wall 17of drawer 15 and through the front wall 42 of.

. case 40. A collar 63 encircling-the shank- 57 engages;

the outer surface of the wall 42 of case 40 while a nut 64 screwed onthe inner end of the shank 57 engages the inner surface of the wall 17of drawer 15. Attached to the inner ends of the shanks 57 of faucets 55and 56 are tube fittings 65 and 56. These tube fittings have attached tothem connectors 67 and 68 and to which the flexible tubes 38 and 39previously referred to are attached. The fittings 33 and 34 serve asoutlet fittings for the coils 22 and 23 and direct the beverage fromthese coils to the faucets 55 and 56 and from which the beverages may bedispensed.

The drawer 15 is supported for sliding movement on two drawer slides 71best shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. These drawer slides comprise fixed rails71 which have webs 87 extending upwardly therefrom. Issuing in wardlyfrom said webs are flanges 88 which overlie the rails 71. Brackets 72are attached to the webs 87. These brackets are turn secured by means ofscrews 73 to the cleats 14 of the counter 10. Attached to the side walls44 and 45 of the case 40 are rails 74 which are disposed above the rails71 and beneath the flanges S8. The rails 71 have webs 8? dependingtherefrom and which overlie the walls 44 and Rivets 9t passing throughsaid walls and webs hold the rails attached to the drawer. Rotatablymounted on the webs 87 are. rollers 75 which are disposed at the outerends of the same. In like manner, rollers 76 are mounted on the webs 89of rails 74 which are disposed at the inner ends thereof. These rollersengage the rails 71. By means of this construction, the drawer may bepulled out, as shown in Fig. 5, or the same may be disposed within theconfines of the counter as shown in Fig.

Disposed below the faucets S and 56 is a receptacle tray 77 on which thereceptacle to be filled with beverage may be placed while the same arebeing filled with the beverage. T his tray includes a perforated rack'73 mounted within the same and on which the glasses are placed. Thesaid tray is provided with a drain fitting 79 and which has attached toit a flexible tube 80 connected to a suitable drain. The tray '77 issupported by means of a bracket 81 which has an arm 82 mounted in aslide 83 attached to the bottom 41 of the case 40. The bracket 81further includes a hanger 84 extending downwardly from the arm 82 andwhich has an arm 85 at its lower end underlying the tray 77. Screws 85serve to attach the tray 77 to the arm 85.

The use of the invention is obvious. All of the tubes or hose connectedto the various conduits of the drawer are flexible so that the drawermay be slid from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5.When the drawer is in the position shown in Fig. 5, ice or other similarsolid refrigerant may be placed in the interior of the drawer 15 and thedrawer slid back into concealed position within the counter 10. In suchposition, the faucets 55 and 56 extend rearwardly of the counter top 11and likewise the tray 77 which is sufficiently below the faucets topermit of placing glasses on the same and filling the same withbeverage. When the ice or other refrigerant melts, the drawer may againbe pulled out and the consumed refrigerant replaced by additionalrefrigerant.

The advantages of the invention are manifest. Due to the fact that thecoils are encased in the bottom of the drawer, heat transfer is amaximum and the efiiciency is extremely high. The dispenser may beinstalled by merely attaching the hangers to suitable cleats mounted onthe under side of the counter and without the necessity of specialskilled labor. In the event the unit is desired to be removed forcleaning, the same may be readily accomplished without the services of askilled laborer. Applicant has found by actual experiments that glassesmay be filled in rapid succession without noticeable drop in temperatureof the succeeding charges of beverages drawn.

Changes in the specific form of the invention, as herein described, maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to beprotected by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a counter for serving beverages open at the backand having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposed below saidtop and extending transversely thereof, a drawer for holding arefrigerant, said drawer comprising a bottom, sides and ends, allconstructed of cast metal and integral, a coil of heat conducting tubingcast in the bottom of said drawer, a faucet attached to the rear end ofsaid drawer, and in heat conducting relation relative thereto means forbringing said faucet into communication with one end of said coil, aconduit connected to the other end of the coil and to a source ofbeverage under pressure and means carried by said drawer and engagingsaid rails for guiding said drawer for movement transversely of saidcounter top to expose or conceal said receptacle beneath said counter. r

2. In combination with a counter for serving beverages open at the backand having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposed below saidtop and extending transversely thereof, a drawer for a refrigerantdisposed beneath said counter top, heat exchange means at the bottom ofsaid drawer including a tortuous passageway for the beverage dispensed,said means being in heat transfer relation with said refrigerant, afaucet carried by said drawer and disposed at the rearward portionthereof and extending behind said counter top, said faucet communicatingwith said passageway, means on said drawer engaging said rails andguiding said drawer for movement transversely of said counter top toexpose or conceal said drawer beneath said counter and a drain attachedto said drawer and movable therewith, said drain being disposed belowsaid fauce 3. In combination with a counter for serving beverages openat the back and having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposedbelow said top and extending transversely thereof, a drawer for arefrigerant disposed beneath said counter top, heat exchange means atthe bottom of said drawer including a tortuous passageway for thebeverage dispensed, said means being in heat transfer relation with saidrefrigerant, a faucet carried by said drawer and disposed at therearward portion thereof and extending behind said counter top, saidfaucet communicating with said passageway, means on said drawer engagingsaid rails and guiding said drawer for movement transversely of saidcounter top to expose or conceal said drawer beneath said counter, ashelf attached to said drawer and movable therewith, said shelf beingdisposed below said faucet and a drain connected to said shelf.

4. In combination with a counter for serving beverages open at the backand having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposed below saidtop and extending transversely thereof, a drawer for holding arefrigerant, said drawer comprising a bottom, sides and ends, allconstructed of cast metal and integral, a coil of heat conducting tubingcast in the bottom of said drawer, a faucet attached to the rear end ofsaid drawer, means for bringing said faucet into communication with oneend of said coil, a conduit connected to the other end of the coil andto a source of beverage under pressure, a case enclosing said drawer andhaving side and end walls and a bottom spaced from the side and endwalls and bottom of said drawer, insulation between said case anddrawer, and means attached to the side walls of said case and engagingsaid rails and guiding said drawer for movement transversely of saidcounter top to expose of conceal said receptacle beneath said counter.

5. In combination with a counter for serving beverages open at the backand having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposed below saidtop and extending transversely thereof, a drawer for holding arefrigerant, said drawer comprising a bottom, sides and front and rearends all constructed of metal in heat conducing rclation with oneanother, a coil carried by said bottom and disposed in heat conductingrelation relative thereto, a faucet disposed exteriorly of said drawerand having a shank extending through said rear end of said drawer andattached thereto, said coil having an inlet end accessible from theexterior of the drawer and an outlet end accessible from the interior ofthe drawer, a conduit within said drawer connecting the outlet end ofsaid coil with said shank, a flexible conduit connected to the outletend of said coil and to a source of beverage under pressure, and meanscarried by said drawer and engaging said rails for guiding said drawerfor movement transversely of said counter top to expose or conceal saiddrawer beneath said counter.

6. In combination with a counter for serving beverages open at the backand having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposed below saidtop and extending transversely thereof, a drawer for holding arefrigerant, said drawer comprising a bottom, sides and ends, allconstructed of cast metal and integral, a coil of heat conducting tubingcast in the bottom of said drawer, a faucet attached to the rear end ofsaid drawer, means for bringing said faucet into communication with oneend of said coil, a flexible conduit connected to the other end of thecoil and to a source of beverage under pressure, a case enclosing saiddrawer and having side and end walls and a bottom spaced from the sideand end walls and bottom of said drawer, insulation between said caseand drawer,=and means attached to the side walls of said case at theuppermost portions thereof and engaging said rails and guiding saiddrawer for movement transversely of said counter top to expose orconceal said receptacle beneath said counter.

7. In combination with a counter for serving beverages open at the backand having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposed below saidtop and extending transversely thereof, a receptacle for a refrigerantdisposed beneath said counter top and in close proximity thereto, heatexchange means carried by said receptacle and including a tortuouspassageway for the beverage dispensed and in heat transfer relation withsaid refrigerant, a faucet carried by said receptacle and communicatingwith said passageway, said faucet extending behind said counter top, andmeans attached to said receptacle engaging said rails and guiding saidreceptacle for movement transversely of said counter top to a positionwithin the confines of the rear edge of said counter top or a positionexposing said receptacle.

8. In combination with a counter for serving beverages open at the backand having a top, rails carried by said counter and disposed below saidtop and extending transversely thereof, a drawer for holding arefrigerant, said drawer comprising a bottom, sides and front and rearends all constructed of metal in heat conducting relation relative toone another, a coil carried by said bottom and disposed in heatconducting relation relative thereto, a faucet disposed exteriorly ofsaid drawer and having a shank extending through said rear end of saiddrawer and attached thereto, said coil having an inlet end accessiblefrom the exterior of the drawer and an outlet end accessible from theinterior of the drawer, means within said drawer in heat conductingrelation with respect to said bottom connecting the outlet end of saidcoil with said shank, a flexible conduit connected to the outlet end ofsaid coil and to a source of beverage under pressure, and means carriedby said drawer and engaging said rails for guiding said drawer formovement transversely of said counter top to expose or conceal saiddrawer beneath said counter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,952,422 Copeman Q. Mar. 27, 1934 2,450,844 Stuart Oct. 5, 19482,673,005 Brown Mar. 23, 1954 2,803,118 Lewis Aug. 20, 1957

